NetWalker strikes again. 5. The latest university cyberattack has reignited the discussion of internet and data safety in higher education. NetWalker continued its attacks against higher education when two more colleges were revealed in June to have been victims of the ransomware. Yet with recent high profile data breaches highlighting how frequent and Higher education institutions are, unfortunately, no exception. Successful higher education cybersecurity requires communication between the IT department and institutional leaders, so they can be more effective in preventing attacks and bouncing back after an … Across the USA, Europe and Asia, there was an increase in the number of attacks targeting the education and research sector in recent months. By Wade Williamson on May 29, 2015 . In higher education, phishing emails and ransomware remain the top threats. Not all information needs to be stored. Higher Education Crams for Cyber Security. Monroe College is the latest target, with many of its technology systems disabled and the hackers demanding around $2 million in Bitcoin to restore access.Schools must be aware of the prevalence of ransomware and should consider steps to mitigate their risk of attack. Tweet. How to Combat Cyber Attacks in Higher Education. The formal term is minimization. Cyber attacks can cost a higher education institution dearly. Analysis published last week by SecurityScorecard, a New York City-based IT security company, reveals an incredible risk to students considering the sheer amount of personal data amassed on school networks. Universities are a frequent target for cyberattacks because of the sensitive data their IT systems often house combined with the vulnerabilities that come with an open-access culture. Not for higher education: cybercriminals target academic & research institutions across the world. University Challenge: Cyber Attacks in Higher Education Foreword Today data is widely regarded as one of the most valuable assets any business can have; most understand it has to be fiercely guarded from competitors and other parties unauthorised to access it. The education industry has been ranked the worst in cybersecurity out of 17 major industries. Earlier this month, Penn State University was forced to completely disconnect a portion of its network from the Internet in response to multiple cyber attacks. Its operators claimed to have stolen files both from Columbia College in Chicago and the University of California, San Francisco, posting screenshots of the stolen file directories. In 2016, Milford says, ransomware was “a huge moneymaker” for threat actors using a one-to-one attack vector; single workstations were frozen, and payouts typically hovered around $250 . According to Ponemon’s 2017 Cost of Data Breach Study , the average cost per compromised record is estimated to be $245. Cyber attacks on higher education institutions are on the rise across the globe, with multiple, unconnected attacks hitting the headlines in the last couple of weeks. Firstly, students at Lancaster University fell victim to a phishing attack, with fraudulent invoices sent to a number of students who had applied to join the university. Recent cyber attacks Recent cyber attacks prove that even the most sophisticated computer systems—like those of major banks, the government, and top retailers—are not impenetrable. Unauthorized disclosure of information can cause irreparable damage to a university’s reputation. Below are three methods for safeguarding student information as recommended by EdTech magazine.